Refugio County Switching to Latest Election Technology

Verity Voting from Hart InterCivic Will Debut in November

REFUGIO, Texas, October 9, 2018 – In a region still slowly recovering from Hurricane Harvey, rebuilding has been a long, time-consuming process for many. Repairs continue in county offices, and there is uncertainty about the future of the courthouse. However, with the help of Texas-based Hart InterCivic, replacing aging election equipment with modern, secure voting technology is on the fast track. Refugio County Commissioners chose to purchase Verity® Voting in mid-September, and Hart delivered new equipment the following week.

“I was concerned about a short turnaround before our November election, but Hart had Verity delivered and my office trained within two weeks,” said Elections Administrator Rachael B. Garcia. “Hart knew the importance of my timeline.”

“Refugio County is still living with Harvey’s catastrophic fallout. We have partnered with their elections team since 2005, and it is our privilege to work with them to deliver successful elections,” said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic, an Austin-based company with more than 100 years of experience providing election solutions. “The County has made a solid choice for the future.”

“We have never been dissatisfied with Hart or our election system,” said Garcia, who has more than a decade of election experience. “When other vendors would come by with their pitches, I’d listen, but always tell them upfront how pleased we are with Hart.”

Verity is a federally and state certified system designed and built in Texas. More than half of the voters in the State cast their ballots on Hart’s voting systems. Verity is a natural next step for those ready to modernize and has flexibility to be used with paper, electronic or hybrid voting. Refugio County voters will mark their choices using touchscreens.

“Verity has a “Wow” factor,” Garcia said. “Our voters and poll workers are going to love the system and the touchscreen. It is easy, fast and will simplify our preparation. I am very excited.”

Neighboring Aransas and San Patricio counties are already successfully using Verity, another advantage for Refugio County and the region. “We’re a close-knit group. We share information and help each other out,” Garcia said.

“I’m confident looking ahead to the November election,” she added.

Refugio County joins a growing number of Texas jurisdictions moving to Verity. Since the Texas Secretary of State certified the latest release of the system in late 2016, Hart has shipped more than 8,000 Verity devices across the State. First federally certified in 2015, the secure and efficient system is also in use in numerous counties throughout the U.S.